When Things Start To Change
by ReyaSelene
Summary: Things change. When Finchel takes its last breath, will Puck and Rachel make Puckleberry happen? Or will they need a little push from Santana of all people? Mainly Puckleberry with some Pezberry friendship. Please read and let me know what you think.
1. Chapter 1 So Sudden And New

**AN: This is my first fanfic so sorry if it's horrible. Anywho, here are a few things about the story: this takes place after season 2, but has nothing to do with season 3. So Quinn and Santana are still in glee, Blaine isn't at McKinley (yet), and Sam didn't leave. One thing from season 3 that I'll keep is that Will & Emma are together :) This is mainly a Puckleberry story. However it does have some of the other couples sprinkled in. There's some Pezberry friendship and definitely some Fuinn bashing. Also each of the chapters is in a different POV, most of them will be from Rachel, Puck, or Santana's. And some of the chapters overlap so you can see more of what's going on, so sorry if it confuses some people. Oh, also I'm addicted to quotes so each chapter will have a quote at the top that somehow relates to the chapter. I think that's it for now. I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, sadly. If I did Finchel would meet it's end and there would be a lot of Puckleberry. Also I don't own the song "What is this Feeling?" from the amazing musical that is Wicked or any other song mentioned.**

Chapter One-So Sudden and New

_"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever"-Keri Russell_

Santana's POV

If someone had come up to me a few weeks ago and told me that I would be friends with Rachel Berry, I probably would have laughed in their face. Just a few months ago, I had been screaming in Spanish at the girl, in a hotel room in New York. That was then, and a lot can happen in a short amount of time, because here I was sticking up for the smaller brunette. But let's start from the beginning, the first of many things to change in New Directions.

~~~~About 2 weeks into the new school year~~~~

I walked into the choir room and took a seat in the back next to Britt and waited for Mr. Schue to tell us our next boring assignment that somehow was related to whatever crisis was currently going on in his life. By sitting in the back, I had a prime spot to watch everyone in the club, searching for the latest dirt, one of my favorite activities. That's when I noticed that Puck was no longer sitting next to Zizes. In fact, the bigger girl wasn't even there. Hmm, trouble in paradise; I'd have to find out more about that. But Mr. Schue's voice cut threw my thoughts, "Okay, guys, for your next assignment you are going to draw a duet partner from the hat, and I want you to get together and sing a song that best conveys what kind of relationship you have with that person. And there is an even number of you because I have been informed that Lauren will not be joining us anymore"

I laughed to myself, well, this could be interesting. Mr. Schue grabbed the black top hat he always used, and picked a name to see who would be the first to get a partner, "Ok, up first to pick a partner is, Finn."

The giant of a boy walked up to the piano and reached in the hat. Finn looked at the name and looked like he was going to pass out, "Uhh, Mr. Schue..." Mr. Schue cut him off and told him to go on so he did, "Quinn"

I looked over to the Ice Queen and noticed the smug smile on her face and as I looked at Rachel I knew I wasn't the only one who saw it. I was expecting her to throw a fit, but she surprisingly stayed quiet and the drawing went on. Tina picked Mercedes. Kurt got Artie. Then I heard my name called, "Santana, you're up"

I walked up and prayed to myself that I got Brittany, however, when I unfolded the paper I was pissed, "Berry" Rachel sat there with a horrified look on her face. Great, what the hell I'm I suppose to sing with the midget. I made my way back to my seat, taking notice of the disappointed look on Puckerman's face. I was still fuming when I felt Brit put her hand on my shoulder and smile, "it will be alright, you'll see."

The rest of the partnerships were picked, while I tried to figure out how this could end up okay. Puckerman and Evans got paired up. This left Mike and Brittany together. Before the bell rang, Mr. Schue added, "We'll be performing these at the end of the week, so get with your partner at practice. For motivation, the winners get gift certificates to Breadstix."

Partners started planning, so I figured Berry and I should do the same. We had to win 'cause I wanted to get my Breadstix on. And despite our dislike of each other, with our voices, I figured we had this in the bag. I started walking over to her, where she was talking to Frankenteen, probably about Quinn.

"Yo, Berry, when are we practicing cuz I wanna win." She tensed and Finn went to go talk to Quinn.

Rachel looked at me with indifference, "Be at my house at 5, I already have an idea about the song, does that work for you?"

"Whatever, see you then" that's when the bell rang and I walked out of the room.

At 5 o'clock, I pulled up to Rachel Berry's house and knocked on her door. A minute later, she answered the door, "Hello, Santana"

"Hey, so can we get started, I don't have all night." Really I didn't have anything to do, but I didn't want to be stuck in the Berry household any longer than I had to.

"Yes, I already got out the sheet music for the song we should sing" I noticed the small smirk that flashed unto her face.

"Whoa, hold on, I'm not letting you have all the say in this."

"Of course, but I think you'll like it, it's from Wicked and called 'What is This Feeling?'" I didn't like the sound of it and she must have noticed because she went on, "I'll play it for you and then you'll see why it's perfect." She pressed play on her iPod. Once it was over, I knew we were going to kill this assignment. It was about two hating each other, which is how we felt towards each other, it was perfect. "I'll sing Elphaba's parts and you can sing Galinda's, also we'll have to change my third solo line because you are not blonde...unless you want to wear a wig."

The next day at school, I walked into the bathroom and froze. I saw Rachel hugging Brittany, who was crying.

"What happened?" Both of the girls looked at me and Brittany answered, "They were making fun of me, but Rachel saved me."

"Who was making fun of you?" I almost yelled; I was going to kill whoever made her cry.

"It was some of the football guys" this time Berry answered, "I'm gonna go now." She walked out and left me with Brit.

"She's a good friend." Brittany said as I walked over to hug her. Okay so maybe Rachel wasn't that bad, if she stood up to some football jocks for Brit.

We started performing the duets on Thursday, but Berry and I decided to wait until Friday to show everyone the awesomeness that was our duet. The two of us had been practicing and it sounded great and I knew we would win. We weren't the only ones who told Mr. Schue they would go Friday, Finn and Quinn were also waiting. This caused Rachel to tense up. If they did something that screwed this up for us, I would kill them both. Why did Finn have to be such an idiot, whenever he was with one of the two girls, he wanted the other one. I knew it was taking its toll on Berry. Wait; why did I care, I didn't like her, she was annoying and a freak. But ever since she stood up for Brittany and since we've been spending quite a bit of time together, she didn't seem as bad as normal.

After school, we decided to practice in the auditorium. As soon as we walked through the doors and I looked up at the stage, I muttered a "shit". Up on the stage, there was Finn and Quinn making out. They heard us and looked our way, Finn immediately shot up and looked guilty. I looked over at Rachel just in time to see tears rolling down her face, before she bolted out of the auditorium. I turned and glared at the two on the stage before running after her, but by the time I got out of there she was already gone. _Damn._

I reached for my phone and dialed _his_ number and waited for him to pick up.

"What do you want, Satan?" were the first words he spoke.

"Well, hello to you too, Puckerman." I quipped back.

"Whatever, why'd you call?" he asked.

"I was calling to inform you that the shit has hit the fan, and you should probably go to your "secret" love's house and make sure she made it home ok.

"My who?" he sounded slightly angry.

"Oh, cut the crap, Puckerman, I see the way you look at her, but back to the point, Berry and I walked in on Frankenteen and the Ice Queen playing tonsil hockey. She ran out and was gone before I even made it out the doors, go make sure she's ok." the last part sounding kind of like an order and before he could say anything else, I hung up, knowing he would go do what I told him to do.

I didn't get a chance to talk to Berry until right before glee, but the news was already buzzing around the school about the official end of Finchel, or whatever the hell people called them. Every time I saw her, Kurt, Mercedes, or Sam was with her. I found the last one weird, but I wasn't really worried about that at the moment.

"Berry" I called out and all three of the people surrounding her turned and guarded her like I was going to beat her up or something, "relax, I just wanted to make sure we were good to do our duet today." She just nodded, so I said, "good" and walked away.

Once we got to the auditorium, I waited to see Rachel's reaction when she saw Finn. Whatever she was feeling, she was doing a damn good job at not showing it.

"Okay, guys, who wants to go first?" Mr. Schue asked. No surprise that Rachel raised her hand, "Mr. Schue, Santana and I would like to go first."

"Alright, the stage is yours" Mr. Schue motioned them to go forward.

Backstage, before going to opposite sides of the stage I walked over to Rachel, "we got this in the bag."

Rachel just smirked, "of course we do" With that she walked to her spot. After a minute we both walked on to the stage. Me complete with a blonde wig, and I almost broke character when I heard Brittany ask when I dyed my hair, but I didn't and started the song.

(Santana, _Rachel_, **Both**)

Dearest darlingest Momsie and Popsical...

_My dear Father..._

**There's been some confusion**

**Over rooming here at Shiz...**

_But of course, I'll care for Nessa..._

But of course, I'll rise above it...

**For I know that's how you'd want me to respond**

**Yes, there's been some confusion**

**For you see, my room-mate is...**

Unusually and exceedingly peculiar

And altogether quite impossible to describe...

Rachel paused for a moment before starting again.

_Blonde._

What is this feeling so sudden and new?

_I felt the moment I laid eyes on you..._

My pulse is rushing...

_My head is reeling..._

My face is flushing...

**What is this feeling?**

**Fervid as a flame**

**Does it have a name?**

**YES!**

**Loathing, unadulterated loathing...**

For your face...

_Your voice..._

Your clothing...

**Let's just say...I loathe it all!**

**Every little trait, however small**

**Makes my very flesh begin to crawl**

**With simple utter loathing**

**There's a strange exhilaration**

**In such total detestation**

**It's so pure! So strong!**

**Thought I do admit it came on fast**

**Still I do believe that it can last**

**And I will be loathing, loathing you**

**My whole life long!**

We took out the student singing so Rachel and I just circle each other before continuing.

Well...these things are sent to try us.

I sang this while looking up to the heavens.

**What is this feeling so sudden and new?**

**I felt the moment I laid eyes on you**

**My pulse is rushing**

**My head is reeling**

**Oh, what is this feeling?**

**Does it have a name? YES...**

**Ahhhh...loathing!**

**There's a strange exhilaration**

**In such total detestation**

**So pure! So strong!**

**Though I do admit it came on fast**

**Still I do believe that it can last**

**And I will be loathing**

**For forever loathing**

**Truly, deeply loathing you, loathing you**

**For my whole life long!**

Unadulterated loathing!

_Boo!_

Ahhhhhh!

I jumped and acted scared.

We knew we had one this when everyone, besides Quinn and Finn, stood up and was cheering.

"Wow, ladies, that was amazing" Mr. Schue was impressed. I looked over to Rachel, who had a huge grin on her face, one that probably mirrored my own, "Yeah, we definitely got this."

"Heck yes, we do," laughing at the competitive tone in her voice. I merely stated, "You know Berry, you're actually not that bad."

She looked shocked for a second and then smiled again, "you're not that bad either, Lopez." And that was the moment I realized I had just become friends with Rachel Berry, of all people.

However, the good mood didn't last as soon as Quinn and Finn took the stage. Especially since they started singing Colbie Caillat's "I Never Told You"; I looked around to see everyone's reactions. Rachel looked devastated. Mr. Schue and Brittany looked confused, though I doubted it was because of the same thing. Kurt, Mercedes, Mike, Artie, and Tina were watching Rachel with sad expressions. Sam wore an angry look that matched mine. Finally, I looked over to Puck, he was pissed. He looked like he was two seconds away from jumping on the stage and beating the shit out of Hudson right there.

When the music stopped, no one clapped, not even Mr. Schue, who I'm guessing caught on to everyone's reaction and decided against it. So there was an awkward silence as "The Inns" came off the stage and towards the rest of us. That's about when Rachel finally burst into tears and ran out. Quinn, of course, had to make a comment about Rachel being a drama queen, but this time I wasn't having it.

"You know what Fabrey; you can shut the hell up, before I go all Lima Heights Adjacent on your skinny white ass!" And that brings us to now, where I, Santana Lopez, stood up for Rachel Berry and then proceeded to go after her to make sure she was ok. Before leaving, I took a last look at where everyone was standing, just in time to see Puckerman's fist colliding with Finn's jaw.


	2. Chapter 2 If I Should Be So Bold

**AN: Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you like it so far. I have the next chapter partially finished so hopefully I'll have that up tomorrow, if I have time.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Glee :(**** or the song "If It Kills Me" by Jason Mraz, which is a great song, if you haven't heard it before.**

Chapter Two-If I Should Be So Bold

_"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."__-__ Confucius_

Puck's POV

I was strumming on my guitar when my phone started to ring. I looked at the caller ID and almost thought about not answering. At the last minute, I decided to answer, "what do you want, Satan?" I asked, already annoyed, not in the mood to talk to her.

"Well, hello to you too, Puckerman." she answered back.

"Whatever, why'd you call?" I asked again, not wanting to play this game.

"I was calling to inform you that the shit has hit the fan, and you should probably go to your "secret" love's house and make sure she made it home ok." I tensed, _how the fuck does she know_. Yeah, sure I really liked Rachel, but I thought I was being discreet about it.

"My who?" I tried to sound pissed off, to play off that I was slightly nervous about Santana knowing about my "secret".

"Oh, cut the crap, Puckerman, I see the way you look at her, but back to the point, Berry and I walked in on Frankenteen and the Ice Queen playing tonsil hockey. She ran out and was gone before I even made it out the doors; go make sure she's ok." Santana hung up on me before I could say anything else. But that's not what I was thinking about at the moment.

All I could think about was how much I wanted to go beat the shit out of Hudson. I was amazed how much of an idiot Finn was. He always made a big deal about me spending too much time with the girls he had dated; especially Berry, and then he pulled this crap. Finn didn't deserve Rachel, how could he do that to her. And after all the stuff that went down at Nationals, all that "hard work", helping him set up their date, letting him take credit for _my_ song. I grabbed my keys and walked out to my truck.

On my way to Rachel's, I thought about the promise I had made to Finn and thought screw it, Hudson had no right to keep going back and forth between the girls. I had noticed it was messing with both of them; even though she didn't show it, Santana had told me why Quinn had the new haircut and I could always tell with Rachel. Sure, it wasn't very badass to say, but I'm pretty sure I'm like in love with her. She deserved better and yeah, I'd probably screw up a little bit, but I was positive that I would treat her the way she deserved.

After what seemed like the longest drive of my life, I pulled up the Berry house. I got out of my truck and walked up to the door, ringing the doorbell. I waited a minute and no one answered so I knocked instead and still no one came to the door. I pulled out my phone and dialed her number, but it went straight to voicemail. She must have turned it off. I got really quiet listening for any signs of anyone being inside. Sure enough I heard the faint sound of music coming from, I was guessing, Rachel's room.

"Damn it, Berry," I muttered to myself.

I leaned down and picked up some loose stones and went to position myself under her window. I felt like one of those idiots from those lame ass chick movies my mom and sister forced me to watch. I threw a stone and it hit the glass, then I threw another hoping I wouldn't have to do this anymore. Almost in answer to my silent request, the window opened and the small brunette popped her head out.

"Noah! What are you doing?" I could tell just from her voice, she had been crying. It made the anger in me flare up a little more.

"Trying to get you to come down here and open the damn door!" I yelled back up to her. She didn't say anything back, just shutting her window and disappearing from sight. So I just walked over to the door again. I could hear the lock being turned and seconds later the door came open.

"Hello, Noah, what can I do for you?" she motioned for me to come in, acting the part of the perfect hostess, "can I get you anything?"

"Uhh, no I'm good," she looked up at me, her emotions carefully hidden beneath the surface.

"Santana called me and told me what happened and I, umm, figured I'd come see if you were ok." I noticed a half empty glass of water sitting on the table and remembered how she got thirsty whenever she was sad.

The emotions broke through and the tears started to fall, "oh, Noah, no I'm not." I caught her in my arms and she sobbed into my chest. Seeing her like this made me want to kill Finn even more. I leaned down and picked her up bridal style so I could carry her to the couch. She wrapped her arms around my neck as he carried her, still crying. When I made it, I just sat there holding her, the sobs slowly fading.

"Noah, what's wrong with me, I mean I know I'm not as pretty or as popular as her, but why...why doesn't he love me?" It about broke my heart hearing her talk like this, so what, badasses have hearts too.

"Rach, listen to me..." I tilted her head so that she was looking at me, "nothing is wrong with you, you don't deserve to be treated this way and he doesn't deserve you. And you are beautiful, inside and out, Finn is just too much of an idiot to see that, and he's a moron not to love you. He kept trying to change you into something you're not. And you don't need to change because you're perfect the way you are."

"Do you really think I'm beautiful, Noah?" she sounded so vulnerable.

"Yeah, I do." She hugged me and I thought I heard a thank you, mumbled into my chest.

We sat like this for a while until Rachel spoke up again, "I'm getting kind of tired, and I think I should go lay down."

Rachel went to get up on her own, but I just scooped her up again. Her eyes got all big in shock or whatever, and then she opened her mouth to protest, "Noah, I'm perfectly fine with walking up the stairs myself." I laughed as I continued up the stairs.

"I know, but I like holding on to your hot little body," I gave her one of my "Puck" smirks. She just smacked me on the chest and whined, "Noah." It sounded damn sexy the way she said my name.

"Oh, Berry, moan my name again." I joked, earning me another smack, "ouch, woman, stop hitting me!" I faked being upset.

"Then stop being rude," she tried to sound angry, but her smile gave her away. I stopped at her closed door and she reached out to turn the knob.

I walked into her room and set her on her bed, I tried not thinking of the times we made out on said bed. I nodded my goodbye and turned to walk away, but was stopped when she grabbed my wrist.

"Thank you so much, Noah, for everything." she gave me a sad smile.

I leaned down and kissed her forehead, "Anytime, Rachel."

I quickly walked over to the door not wanting to do anything _she_ might regret. I was about to walk out, when I thought of something, "Hey, Rach, would you like a ride to school tomorrow?"

"Sure, Noah. Thanks."

Later that night, I picked my guitar back up and continued with what I was working on before Santana called. I was going to play this song for Rachel in glee the next day, but with the whole Finn cheating, I figured now wasn't the time, but that didn't mean I couldn't sing it right now. I started strumming my guitar and singing the song.

_Hello_

_Tell me you know_

_Yeah, you figured me out_

_Something gave it away_

_It would be such a beautiful moment_

_To see the look on your face_

_To know that I know that you know now_

_And, baby, that's a case of my wishful thinking_

_You know nothing_

_Well, you and I_

_Why, we go carrying on for hours on end_

_We get along much better_

_Than you and your boyfriend_

_Well, all I really wanna do is love you_

_A kind much closer than friends use_

_But I still can't say it after all we've been through_

_And all I really want from you is to feel me_

_As the feeling inside keeps building_

_And I will find a way to you if it kills me_

_If it kills me_

_How long, can I go on like this_

_Wishing to kiss you, before I rightly explode_

_This double life I lead isn't healthy for me_

_In fact it makes me nervous_

_If I get caught I could be risking it all_

_Cause maybe there's a lot that I'll miss_

_In case I'm wrong_

_Well, all I really wanna do is love you_

_A kind much closer than friends use_

_But I still can't say it after all we've been through_

_And all I really want from you is to feel me_

_As the feeling inside keeps building_

_And I will find a way to you if it kills me_

_If it kills me, if it kills me_

_If I should be so bold_

_I'd ask you to hold my heart in your hand_

_I'd tell you from the start how I've longed to be you man_

_But I never said a word_

_I guess I'm gonna miss my chance again_

_All I really wanna do is love you_

_A kind much closer than friends use_

_But still can't say it after all we've been through_

_And all I really want from you is to feel me_

_As the feeling inside keeps building_

_And I will find a way to you if it kills me_

_If it kills me, if it kills me_

_I think it might kill me_

_And all I really wanna do is to feel you_

_Yeah, the feeling inside keeps building_

_I'll find a way to you if it kills me_

_If it kills me, it might kill me_

When I was done, I put my guitar down and laid back, thinking of Rachel and how it was kinda messed up how much I was looking forward to picking up her up tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3 As Far As I'm Concerned

**AN: I know I said I would update this like a while ago, but then I got sick and didn't feel like doing anything so sorry. Anyway, did anyone else that watched last weeks Glee think that Puck was extra freaking adorable, cuz I know I did. I really hope Quinn doesn't ruin everything. Well I hope you like this chapter. & sorry for any mistakes.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Glee :( if I did Sam would still be on, Santana & Rachel would be friends, Quinn might possibly disappear :p and there would be much Puckleberry love all episode, every episode :) also I don't own the song "Picture to Burn", Taylor Swift does.**

Chapter 3-As Far as I'm Concerned

_"Breakdowns can create breakthroughs. Things fall apart so things can fall together."-Unknown Source_

Rachel's POV

Even though I was tired, I had a hard time falling asleep after Noah left. I just kept on replaying our conversation over in my head. I still can't believe he said those things. Did he really think I was beautiful? Perfect? He had sounded and looked sincere when he said it. Then I started thinking about how he kissed my forehead, so sweet and gentle like he was trying not to break me. And then somewhere in my head a little voice said how I wouldn't mind if he kissed me again, a lot more.

I stopped myself; I just broke up with Finn _today._ I can't be thinking about kissing other boys, I should be sad and moping. But while I was sad, I didn't want to mope. I wanted to move on. This was the last straw for Finn; I wanted to be over him. I fell asleep realizing that when Finn inevitably came to me in a few weeks saying he still wanted me, I wouldn't go back to him.

When I woke up, I went through my normal morning ritual. I almost forgot that Noah had said he would give me a ride to school today. I didn't remember until my phone vibrated, I opened it up and saw it was from Noah. My heart started pounding faster just at the thought of being with him and I quickly texted him back.

**{****Noah}**

_hey rach be there in 10_

**{****Rachel}**

_Ok Noah, I am already around and ready to go._

He didn't text me back, but almost exactly ten minutes later, he was knocking on the door. I went to open it up and smiled brightly at him.

"Good morning, Noah"

"Morning, my hot Jewish American princess." I blushed as he smirked. "Ready?"

"Yep, let's go." I replied. I bent down to grab my bag, but Noah beat me to it. "Thanks."

"No problem" he smiled down at me as we walked to his truck. He even opened the door for me and helped me get in. Then he handed me my bag and walked to the driver's side. We were both silent for a while during the drive, until I broke the silence.

"Really, thank you for everything, Noah." He just shook his head. "Seriously, Rach, it's really no problem, that's what friends are for."

I almost died when he said this; it was the first time he actually said out loud that they were friends. The rest of the drive was silent, other than our humming along with the music. Once we got to school, Noah walked to me to my locker and told me to have a good day. Before he left, it almost looked like he wanted to say something else, but he didn't and he walked away.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful; Kurt, Mercedes, and Sam had been acting as my bodyguards all day. A few weeks ago I would have been confused as to why Sam was here, not that we hadn't become friends since prom, but not that close. However, Kurt, Blaine, and I had been let in on the secret that he and Mercedes were dating.

It was almost time for glee when Santana came up to us, "Berry" The three of my "bodyguards" faced her and tensed Santana rolled her eyes, "relax, I just wanted to make sure we were good to do our duet today." Confused as to why she would care about me I just nodded.

"Good" and with that she walked away.

Santana and I killed our song. I knew that there was no way that we would lose. Then Santana actually said something nice to me. I was on cloud nine. I was immediately brought down from my high once Quinn and Finn started singing there song. I didn't mean to cry or runaway, honest. I meant all the things I had said about moving on. But hearing them sing that together, only a day after the scandal, it was too much. I ran out of the auditorium as fast as I could and for a moment I didn't know where to go. Normally, when I was upset I ran to the stage, not away from it. I went to the next best thing. The choir room. I sat on the piano bench and tried to stop the tears. I was failing when I felt someone sitting next to me. To my utter surprise it was Santana, and I almost had a heart attack when she wrapped her arms around me for a hug.

"What are you doing?" I quietly asked, still in shock.

She pulled away slightly to look at me. "I'm here to comfort you."

"Oh, um, thank you."

"No problem, Berry. That's what friends are for."

"We're friends now?" I didn't think I could be more shocked, hearing these words twice in one day was almost surreal.

"Like I told you earlier, you're not so bad. I mean you totally helped Britt the other day, so you know, yeah."

"Oh, ok." That was all I could say at the moment. We sat in silence for a few minutes when Santana spoke up.

"Finnocence is not worth it. He's a douche. You can do better."

"I know he's not worth it, I didn't mean to cry. It's just them singing that song...it's only been a day! Last night I told myself that I was over him and sick of his games."

"That's good; you need to tell him that though." She looked at me like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"Santana, I can't just walk up to him and do that. I may be confident in my talent, but I don't have your confidence."

"Then use your talent, Monday sing a song." She stood up and grabbed my hand. "I would tell you to go today, but I'm pretty sure that Mr. Schue ended practice after Puckerman punched Finn in the face."

"Why would Noah do that? He could get in serious trouble." I stared at her with worry in my eyes.

"He did it because he cares about you. Now come on." I went to protest, but I guess she expected this because she stopped me. "Don't worry; I'll explain it all during our all weekend sleepover at your house."

"Our what?" Since when did Santana Lopez sleep over at my house?

"We're going to my house so I can pick up clothes. Then we will go to your house and hang for the weekend. Plus we can figure out the perfect song to sing for Monday."

So the two of us walked arm and arm out to her car. I saw Noah waiting by his truck, and obviously so did Santana.

"I've got her Puckerman, don't worry, see you Monday," the Latina girl told him as she dragged me to her car. I had the feeling this was going to be an interesting weekend.

"Bye Noah," I managed to yell out before Santana shut the car door in my face.

Over the course of the weekend Santana and I watched tons of movies, and talked about everything and anything. She also let me know that sometime soon we would be going shopping for some new clothes for me. She explained that we were catching up on a lifetime's worth of friendship and that this was important if they were going to be best friends. When I asked about Brittany being her best friend, she said that hopefully that relationship would become something more and she would need someone to fill the bestie spot. Then she came to the subject I hoped she would skip. Noah. The same Noah who had been texting me all weekend to make sure Santana hadn't "killed me or something."

"So, Rae, what's up with you and Puckerman?" San asked while twirling spaghetti on her fork.

"Nothing, Noah and I are just really good friends."

"Don't lie to me; you don't lie to best friends. You like him." It wasn't a question.

"Well, I do admit that I have noticed that my feelings towards him have been the "more than friends" kind lately. But I highly doubt those are reciprocated. And I just broke up with Finn."

"Who cares about Finn? You need to move on, just like you said you wanted to. And those feelings are definitely reciprocated; do you not see the way he looks at you?" I look up surprised and then I blush. "Look I think I just thought of a good song for you to sing."

Monday came and I was excited, and a little nervous for glee. When it finally was time for practice, I took the seat next to San. I must have been jittery, because Noah leaned down to ask if I was okay. I told him I was fine and wanted Mr. Schue to hurry up so I could sing my song. Finally, he walked in and Santana gave me a pointed look so I raised my hand.

"Yes, Rachel?" Mr. Schue questioned.

"Before we start, there is a song I would like to sing." I should have known Quinn would speak up.

"Great. Let's hear another song about how much you love Finn and want him back."

"Shut it, Fabrey. Don't make me come over there." San shot back and before Quinn could say anything Schuester spoke up again, trying to avoid the growing conflict.

"Ok, Rachel, let's hear your song."

"Thanks, Mr. Schue." I pointed to the band to tell them to start. And I danced around the room.

_State the obvious; I didn't get my perfect fantasy_ (I just shrugged my shoulders and let the music wash over me)

_I realize you love yourself more than you could ever love me_

_So go and tell your friends_

_That I'm obsessive and crazy_ (I made the motion of being crazy with my finger)

_That's fine; I'll tell mine you're gay_ (I "gossiped" with San and she acted shocked and giggly)

_And by the way..._

_I hate that stupid old pickup truck_

_You never let me drive _(At the time she picked the song, San hadn't known Finn actually didn't let me drive his truck, believe me I'd asked many times)

_You're a redneck heartbreak, who's really bad at lying _(I pointed at Finn)

_So watch me strike a match on all my wasted time_

_As far as I'm concerned you're just another picture to burn_

_There's no time for tears, I'm just sitting here planning my revenge _

_There's nothing stopping me from going out_

_With all of your best friends _(Now I pointed to Noah and smiled, which he returned with a smirk)

_And if you come around saying sorry to me_

_My daddy's gonna show you how sorry you'll be_

_I hate that stupid old pickup truck_

_You never let me drive_

_You're a redneck heartbreak, who's really bad at lying_

_So watch me strike a match on all my wasted time_

_As far as I'm concerned you're just another picture to burn_

_If you're missing me, you'd better keep it to yourself_

_Cause coming back around here_

_Would be bad for your health... _(I shook my finger in Finn's face)

_I hate that stupid old pickup truck_

_You never let me drive_

_You're a redneck heartbreak, who's really bad at lying_

_So watch me strike a match on all my wasted time_

_As far as I'm concerned you're just another picture to burn_

_Burn, burn, burn, baby, burn_

_You're just another picture to burn_

_Baby, burn..._

Everyone except the "Inns" was standing and clapping. Santana came up and gave me a big hug. Which had almost everyone in the room very confused, besides the few that had noticed the rapidly growing friendship between the two of us.

"That was perfect." San complimented me and hugged me again.

"That was very good Rachel, thank you. Now I would like to talk to you about this week's assignment," Mr. Schue walked up to the white board and wrote, EXPECTATIONS. He went on to explain, "I want each of you to pick a song that is about expectations, what people expect out of you, or what you expect out of others. Or I want you to pick a song that most people wouldn't expect you to sing. We'll be performing these in the auditorium throughout the week."

"Hey Berry," a voice came from behind me along with a warm breath against my neck that made me shiver.

"Why hello, Noah. How are you today?" I replied, carefully turning around in my chair to face him. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Santana smirking.

"I'm good. You're song was pretty awesome."

"Thank you. Do you have any ideas on what song you'll sing this week?" I asked him and watched as the corners of his mouth quirked up.

"Yeah actually, I do. I'm sure you do too," he chuckled.

"Well to be honest, I don't have a clue."

"The great Rachel Berry doesn't know what song to sing." He acted like he was shocked and I playfully hit his leg. "You really need to stop hitting me," he joked.

"Or what, you gonna beat me up?" I stuck my tongue out and then laughed.

"No, but I'll…" he started, but was interrupted by San, which left me wondering what he was going to say.

"Yo Rae, I talked to Hummel and we are taking you on our shopping trip after glee." I wondered if I visibly paled. Shopping with Santana _and_ Kurt? Sure I could deal with shopping with them separately, but both at the same time; it was going to be a nightmare.

All I could muster back was a less than enthusiastic, "oh yay."


	4. Chapter 4 Take Me By Surprise

**AN: Sorry it took me so long to get this up; between writers block and classes and then I got an idea for another story and had to start writing that down before I forgot it. Anywho, let me know what you think :) Hope you like it. And sorry for any mistakes.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Glee. *tear* :'( I also don't own the song **_**What You Want**_** by Evanescence or **_**Perfect **_**by Hedley; both of which are awesome :)**

Chapter 4-Take Me By Surprise

_"There are plenty of difficult obstacles in your path. Don't allow yourself to become one of them."-Ralph Marston_

Santana's POV

"Hurry up, Rae, we're gonna be late picking up Kurt," I yelled out the window and honked my horn. Rachel quickly made her way down her driveway.

"We have plenty of time, Santana, you don't need to be so pushy," she huffed as she got in the passenger seat. I just laughed 'cause I knew the only reason she was upset was because me and Kurt we ganging up on her with this shopping trip. I just ignored this and put my new cd in. What surprised me was Rachel singing along.

_Hello, hello, remember me?  
>I'm everything you can't control<br>Somewhere beyond the pain  
>There must be a way to believe<br>We can break through_

_Do what you, what you want_  
><em>You don't have to lay your life down<em>

"You know this song?" I asked like it was the craziest thing I had ever heard. Which it kind of was; I never imagined Rachel listening to anything but show tunes.

"Of course I do, in fact, I have all their cds,"she scoffed, "Amy Lee is one of the most talented female vocalists out there." I just stared at her, still not believing it. She saw my expression and laughed, "Well, I guess I have an artist to use for my glee assignment, now I just need to choose a song and get an outfit."

"It's a good thing we're going shopping then, huh," I poked her arm and laughed, "me and Kurt are gonna get you a completely new wardrobe, but it will still be you." Thinking about how I knew Puck liked Rachel's skirts, I chuckled under my breath.

"Oh goody," she said sarcastically. One thing I had learned about Rachel Berry so far was that she was actually a pretty funny person and extremely sarcastic. It was very different from the Rachel most people saw at school. And it was a side of her that Kurt probably already knew about, and here was my one worry about this trip; I didn't want to feel like a third wheel. Not that I would admit this to anyone. I knew that Rachel and Kurt were like best friends, planning on rooming together in New York and all, which is why when Kurt came up to me wanting to come and help I was a little reluctant.

But as it turns out my worries were completely washed away as soon as we got to the mall. For the next few hours the three of us went from store to store picking out clothes. We even found an outfit for Rachel to wear during for her glee performance this week. Watching Rachel's face when I tried to get her to try on this skin tight black dress was priceless. I eventually forced her to and when she came out mine and Kurt's jaws dropped, "damn, B, you look hot."

"I am not buying this," she huffed, but she was blushing at my compliment.

"Why not? Santana's right, you look fabulous," Kurt smiled.

"Because it's…it's very, umm, tight and revealing and very not me," she struggled to find the right words, "besides where on earth would I wear this?"

"It's not that revealing and it could be you and you could wear it to the party I'm going to have," I reasoned.

"What party? And how about this one instead?" she picked up a cute yellow dress.

"Try it on and we'll decide," Kurt said trying to be diplomatic. Rachel smiled at him and disappeared into the dressing room. A few minutes later she came out and was smiling brightly. The color went well with her tan skin and you could tell she loved it.

"Fine, you win. You look hot in this one too," I admitted, "now let's buy it so we can go eat, I am starving." They shook their heads in agreement and Rachel went to change.

After we sat down with our food we discussed my party and our glee assignment. Kurt and I instructed Rachel on what outfit she should wear tomorrow. I also let both of them know that if anyone tried to bully them Puck and I would take care of it. I hadn't told him that we were doing this yet, but hey that could wait, I was having fun; more fun than I normally had when I was hanging with the Cheerios.

At one point while Kurt was in the bathroom, Rach asked me about Brittany and how that was going. I just shrugged, "Same as always."

She looked at me sternly, "Have you even talked to her about your feelings recently?"

"Not exactly," I was just scared she would go back to Artie or that she didn't feel the same anymore.

I heard he sigh, "Santana, I know you're scared, but you know she feels the same and you're only hurting yourself by not doing anything about it."

"I could say the same to you," I shot back and before we could continue Kurt came back and the subject wasn't brought up for the rest of the night.

On the way to drop off Rachel she asked me if I knew what song I was going to sing. I thought about it a little bit and answered, "Yeah, I think so, but I'm not telling you."

"What? Why not? I thought best friends didn't keep secrets," she huffed.

"This isn't a secret, it's a surprise; there's a difference," I laughed at her pouting face.

"Fine," she said as we pulled up in her driveway. I asked her if she needed a ride to school tomorrow and she nodded, "Yeah that would be great." With that she waved and walked up to her house.

When I got home I did my homework and decide to practice my song for the next day. I did this until it was perfect in my head, man; Berry was rubbing off on me. That's when I decided to send a quick text to Puckerman.

**{****Santana}**

_yo Puckerman make sure no1 messes w/ Rae or Kurt tmrw or ever actually_

**{****Puckerman}**

_has Satan finally got a heart?_

**{****Santana}**

_funny…now just do it_

**{****Puckerman}**

_fine i will_

I shut my phone with a satisfied grin as I thought how bad he had it for the tiny brunette diva. But then I realized I had no room to talk because I had it bad for Britt. I soon fell asleep, thinking about the blonde and about what Rachel had said.

When I picked up Rachel the next day, I gave her outfit my approval. It was a white flowing tank with dark skinny jeans and a pair of ballet flats. I also told her that I knew Puck would definitely appreciate the view and she returned this with a blush and then a glare. The whole car ride she tried, unsuccessfully, to pry what song I was singing out of me. The rest of the day until glee dragged, which tended to happen a lot lately.

Finally, it was time for my favorite class of the day. Mr. Schuester walked in to the auditorium, unusually happy like always, "Does anyone have their song ready?"

"Umm, I do Mr. Schue," I raised my hand. He motioned me to take the stage and I made my way up the steps. I pulled a stool onto the middle of the stage and sat down, "I know this song is normally sung by a dude, but whatever. It deals with expectations from me and other people and trying to meet them." I pointed to the Brad at the piano and he started playing.

_Falling a thousand feet per second, you still take me by surprise_

_I just know we can't be over, I can see it in your eyes_

_Making every kind of silence, takes a lot to realize_

_It's worse to finish than to start all over and never let it lie_

_And as long as I can feel you holding on_

_I won't fall, even if you said I was wrong_

_I'm not perfect, but I keep trying_

'_Cause that's what I said I would do from the start_

_I'm not alive if I'm lonely, so please don't leave_

_Was it something I said or just my personality?_

_Making every kind of silence, it takes a lot to realize_

_It's worse to finish than to start all over and never let it lie_

_And as long as I can feel you holding on_

_I won't fall, even if you said I was wrong_

_I know that I'm not perfect, but I keep trying_

'_Cause that's what I said I would do from the start_

_I'm not alive if I'm lonely, so please don't leave_

_Was it something I said or just my personality?_

_When you're caught in a lie and you've got nothing to hide_

_When you've got nowhere to run and you've got nothing inside_

_It tears right through me, you thought that you knew me_

_You thought that you knew_

_I'm not perfect, but I keep trying_

'_Cause that's what I said I would do from the start_

_I'm not alive if I'm lonely, so please don't leave_

_Was it something I said or just my personality?_

_I'm not perfect, but I keep trying_

'_Cause that's what I said I would do from the start_

_I'm not alive if I'm lonely, so please don't leave_

_Was it something I said or just my…just myself?_

_Just myself, myself, just myself_

_I'm not perfect, but I keep trying_

I almost started crying, but when I looked up Rachel gave me two thumbs up and I had to smile.

"Santana, that was really good," Mr. Schuester complimented me. I looked over to Brittany and smile, "Does anyone else want to go?"

After Artie and Mercedes did their songs, Mr. Schue told us we could go. As we were all leaving and I was about to go over by Rachel, Brittany walked up to me and linked her pinky with mine, "I think you are perfect." She smiled at me and started pulling me towards the exit. I paused to ask Rachel if she was ok with getting another ride, but when I turned her way she was already with Puckerman. Puck just smirked and motioned that he had her. I turned back around and walked out with my hopefully future girlfriend.

**AN2: I figured I'd let you see the dresses I had in mind when I typed up the shopping part so here are the links. **

**The black dress Santana wanted her to wear: **.com/lookbook/Lea+Michele/Z6gkKz5hEGS/Dresses+Skirts ****

**The yellow one she gets: **.com/lookbook/Lea+Michele/9jC83ZiCv_5/Dresses+Skirts ****


	5. Chapter 5 Under Your Spell

**AN: Ok, so thanks so much for the alerts and comments :) And I'm super sorry it has taken soooo flippin' long for this to get put up. I got about halfway through typing it and then the creative juices in my brain froze; the same goes for my other story **_**And They Thought We Were Freaks Before **_**(I'm still stuck on that one). And I think in the next chapter and so on I'm going to change the way I have only one person's POV per chapter cuz this story is kind of having a mind of its own and the only way I can do what I'm thinking about doing is if I do this so yeah. Well, hopefully you like this chapter and sorry for any mistakes :) Oh and was anyone else awesomely surprised by Coach Beiste's version of **_**Jolene**_** cuz I loved it haha**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or **_**Good Enough **_**by Evanescence :( **

Chapter 5-Under Your Spell

"_If you love two people at the same time, pick the second one because if you really loved the first one you wouldn't have fallen for the second."__-Johnny Depp_

Rachel's POV

"So have you picked out a song yet, Noah?" I asked as we walked to his truck. I tried to climb into the truck with difficulty. All of a sudden I felt his hands around my waist as he helped lift me into the vehicle. As I sat down and he got behind the steering wheel, I could feel the warmth from the blush spreading across my cheeks, "thanks."

"No problem. And I'm working on it, how about you?" He started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Well, I know what band I'm using, but they have so many fantastic songs, that I'm having trouble deciding which one," I explained.

"Need any help?" he offered.

"While I appreciate your offer, I think for this one I will figure it out on my own. Plus if you helped you would expect it, which is the opposite of what the assignment asked for. Not even Santana or Kurt will know. In fact, the only reason Santana knows what band is because she was with me when I got the idea."

Noah chuckled, "got it. So you and Satan are pretty close now?"

"Noah!" I lightly smacked his arm, "don't call her that. If other people would have heard you they would probably think I'm some kind of Satan worshipper or something." That made him laugh and it made the butterflies in my stomach stage a full blown attack inside me. Then I realized we were outside my house, "well thank you for the ride, I'll see you tomorrow."

His hand wrapped around my wrist before I could get out, I turned to face him and looked into his hypnotizing hazel eyes as he leaned in closer; I could feel his minty breath on my face, "It's cool, I'll be here in the morning to pick you up." And just like that he let go and backed away. I couldn't bring myself to say anything so I just nodded and waved as I hopped down from the truck. As I walked up the driveway I could feel Noah's eyes on me and it took all my will not to look back at him. Once I reached the door I turned to wave, as I suspected his eyes were fixed on me, he just smiled, waved back, and drove away.

A short while later, not able to focus, I slammed my history book closed. I was trying to do my homework, but there was only one thing on my mind; only one person I should say. Ever since Noah dropped me off, my thoughts have been wrestling each other. Multitudes of questions flew through my head while I hopelessly tried to answer all of them. Santana had already given me her opinion, but I hadn't really gotten a chance to talk to Kurt about it so I quickly dialed his number.

The outrageous way he answered the phone cheered my mood, but he could tell something was off and quickly asked what was wrong. I immediately went on telling him about the struggle in my head. I told him about my feelings for Noah and the doubts I had. He listened patiently as I rambled off the questions that earlier had occupied my brain. Do you think he feels the same or is he messing with me? What if he doesn't? How do I know? Why would he like me? Why choose me? These were the questions that hit the hardest; Noah could have any girl he wanted; why would he pick me, the school freak?

This was the moment Kurt decided to stop me, "Rachel, slow down. Puck feels the same, everybody can tell. He tries to hide it and pretend it's not true, but he's not fooling anyone; except you obviously. And you are not the school freak; that would be Jacob Ben Israel. As for why he would choose you; it's probably because you are the beautiful, talented Rachel Berry, future Broadway star. When are you going to stop being so hard on yourself; you are better than pretty much everyone at school and I don't just mean talent-wise. Plus you two like belong together. Puckleberry is epic, it's practically joining of Ohio royalty; the King of the Badasses and the Queen of the Gleeks."

I had to laugh at the last part, "Thanks, Kurt. I think I owe you a hug."

"Darn right you do, and I'll hold you to it," he replied.

"Ok, well, I'm going to try and come up with a song for glee. So I'll talk to you later."

"Oh, don't forget we have the NYADA mixer this week. And ok, see you later, diva."

I grabbed my iPod and plugged it into the dock. Scrolling down to the E's, I found the band I wanted. As I listened to all the Evanescence songs I thought about what Kurt said and how I felt about it. And in one of those moments where everything came together, the perfect song came on and I quickly ran down to the piano to start practicing.

The next day, I was majorly excited for glee as soon as I woke up. Not just that I got to perform my song, but also to wear the dress I had picked out, that went with the happiness and pureness of the song. After I was finished curling it, I pulled my hair back with a clip so I could do my make-up. I decided to go with a natural look with different shades of gold eyeshadow. Carefully putting on the dress so I didn't get any make-up on it, I looked myself over in the mirror. The white and cream colored tulle dress came right above my ankles, showing off the cute heels I had picked out. I took the clip out and let the ringlets of my hair fall down my back. Then I heard the unmistakable horn of Noah's truck. With one final look I fixed the fabric flower-adorned belt, grabbed my things, and walked out to my ride.

"Looking good, Rach."

"Why thank you, Noah. You don't look half bad yourself." I joked. In all reality he looked gorgeous, but that was nothing new. The truck filled with silence for a bit, but it wasn't uncomfortable.

Noah smiled and guessed, "So you end up finding the perfect song?"

"I sure did. How about you?" I asked wondering if he would be performing today as well.

"Yeah, I think so," he sounded a little doubtful.

"I'm sure you'll do wonderful. You are extremely talented." I assured him as we walked to our lockers.

It looked like he was about to say something when Santana came over to us, "Rae, you are looking hot. Hey Puckerman, if you don't mind I'm going to steal this one away." She then proceeded to practically drag me by my arm; I threw a quick look over my shoulder and waved to Noah.

The day seemed to be going extra slow today, but I guess days were always like that if you were excited about something. The last bell before glee went off and I made my way to the auditorium. As usual, Mr. Schue was running late and while we waited Santana, Brittney, Tina, and Kurt complimented me on my new look. Finally, our teacher walked in and got right to business, "ok, who is ready to perform today?" I raised my hand, but I wasn't the only one. "Rachel, Puck, which one of you wants to go first?"

I turned around to look at Noah. He just smirked and said, "Ladies first."

I just nodded and made my way up to the stage. Before I explained my choice, I walked over to Brad and told him I'd be playing the song myself. I sat down on the bench and moved the microphone to my level, "Well, I choose this song because most of you wouldn't expect me to sing anything but show tunes and top charts songs. However, Evanescence is one of my favorite bands and Amy Lee is fantastic. The song I picked deals with feeling like you've met someone's expectations or realizing that you met them. So here we go." With that I started the intro to the song.

_Under your spell again  
>I can't say no to you<br>Crave my heart and it's bleeding in your hand  
>I can't say no to you<em>

The only way to keep myself from looking at Noah was to just focus on the keys beneath my fingertips and let the music take over so that's what I did.

_Shouldn't have let you torture me so sweetly  
>Now I can't let go of this dream<br>I can't breathe but I feel good enough  
>I feel good enough for you<em>

Drink up sweet decadence  
>I can't say no to you<br>And I've completely lost myself and I don't mind  
>I can't say no to you<p>

Shouldn't let you conquer me completely  
>Now I can't let go of this dream<br>Can't believe that I feel good enough  
>I feel good enough<br>It's been such a long time coming, but I feel good

A smile graced my lips as I felt what the lyrics where saying. I had been pining after Finn for so long, trying to be someone I wasn't, only showing one part of me. But when I hang out Noah, I feel like I can show him the real me; all of me.

_And I'm still waiting for the rain to fall  
>Pour real life down on me<br>Cause I can't hold on to anything this good enough  
>Am I good enough for you to love me too?<em>

I couldn't help but look at Noah as I sang that question. He held the eye contact with me for the last few lyrics.

_So take care what you ask of me  
>'Cause I can't say no<em>

I knew Santana would be smirking before I even looked at her. She also gave me two thumbs up. I looked to the rest of the glee club, everyone was clapping except Finn, who was looking from me to Noah; even Quinn was clapping. Kurt ran onstage and almost tackled me off the piano bench. "That was amazing," then he hugged me and while he did, he whispered in my ear, "and I can't wait for Puckleberry 2.0."

"Wow, Rachel, that was really good and it was definitely an unexpected choice," Mr. Schuester complimented.

"Thank you. Now, I'll let Noah have the stage." I smiled at him as I passed him as he got up on the stage, "Good luck, Noah."

"Thanks," I went to pass him, but he blocked my path and his intense eyes stared down into mine, "and I hope this answers your question." He quickly stepped around me and went to grab a stool and his guitar.

**AN2: Oh and if you want to see the dress I had in mind for Rachel, you can go on , it's called the Ethereal Evening Dress. It's actually a dress that I would love to have; unfortunately if you look, you see that it costs around $200, which as a jobless (I'm working on that part) college student, I don't have to spend on a dress. No matter how gorgeous it is. :( And since this thing messes up the link every time I try to save it I can't simply put it on here sorry**


	6. Chapter 6 Talking Is Trivial

**AN: Sorry for the wait; I kinda drew a blank when I went to finish this. Like I said in the AN last chapter, I switched up the way I did the POVs so hopefully it works. I think it'll be easier; that way the chapters don't have to overlap. Thanks for the reviews and alerts. :) Well I hope you like it**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Glee or Mark Salling's song **_**Musical Soulmate**_**, I do however own a copy of his cd Pipe Dreams, which if you haven't listened to it yet you should because it is fantastic. :) **

Chapter 6-Talking Is Trivial

"_The best things in life are unexpected-because there were no expectations."-Eli Khamarov_

~~Puck's POV~~

I let Rachel go first because my song was me pretty much laying all my feelings and shit out there and if it didn't go like I wanted it to, I'd at least be able to leave. Rachel sounded great and the song was awesome. At first, I could see that she kept trying to keep from looking at me until she lost herself in her music. Anyone could tell that Rachel really connected to the song and what it was saying. And then she looked at me and sang, "Am I good enough for you to love me too?"

This is about the time a million thoughts went through my head. The main one being: she loves me? For a second, I thought I was dream because this was too good to be true; the girl that I'm pretty sure I'm in love with likes me back. Holy shit! This is happening.

I pulled myself from my thoughts as the song ended, just in time to see Hummel almost tackle Rachel off the bench. Mr. Schue complimented her and then she let me have the stage and wished me luck. I couldn't help but say something to her so I looked into her eyes and told her how I hope my song answered her "question"; it took all my self-control to just walk passed her and not kiss her into the next century right then and there.

Once I got onstage, I grabbed a stool and my guitar and started my explanation, "I chose this song because I wrote it and no one would expect me to do that or, you know, like sing about my feelings or whatever so here it is." I started playing my guitar and thought about when I first started writing this song for Rachel. And thinking about her, I looked up to watch her reaction as I sang.

_I remember when I realized  
>The depth of your beauty for the first time<br>A million ears had heard you  
>But none had listened quite like mine<em>

_Every phrase that leaves your lips_  
><em>Makes me feel as if I'm paralyzed<em>  
><em>Talking is trivial, sing another crazy note<em>  
><em>And I will be a third below<em>  
><em>The troubles that we knew before<em>  
><em>Disappear and all I know is that<em>

_It makes no difference where you come from  
>I don't care if you need my love<br>You know I'll be there  
>I swear I want to sing to the world<br>No need to keep it a secret  
>You are the one, the only<br>My musical soulmate_

_Darling listen_  
><em>The audience is calling you<em>  
><em>There's no way in hell that<em>  
><em>They will ever feel you like I do<em>

_It makes no difference where you come from_  
><em>I don't care if you need my love<em>  
><em>You know I'll be there<em>  
><em>I swear I want to sing to the world<em>  
><em>No need to keep it a secret<em>  
><em>You are the one, the only<em>  
><em>My musical soulmate<em>

_It makes no difference where you come from_  
><em>I don't care if you need my love<em>  
><em>You know I'll be there<em>  
><em>I swear I want to sing to the world<em>  
><em>No need to keep it a secret<em>  
><em>You are the one, the only<em>  
><em>My musical soulmate<em>

"Wow, Puck that was amazing. Competition worthy, if you're up for it," Mr. Schuester praised. I looked at the rest of the group as I made my way off the stage. Everyone was clapping, even Quinn. Kurt looked like if he smiled any bigger, his face might split open and he was clapping very loudly. My boys, Mike, Sam, and Artie gave me high-fives. As I walked passed Santana she patted my back. The only negative reaction I could see was that Finn was glaring at me.

"Lord Tubbington is going to be so jealous he didn't get to hear that; maybe the leprechaun that's coming to live with me will grant him a wish to let him hear it." Brittney told me. I stared at her blankly for a split second trying to come up with something to say to that. I finally just smiled at her and told her that I'm sure he would.

When I finally reached Rachel, I reached back and rubbed the back of my neck and looked down at my feet, "so, umm, what you, uh, think?" Wow, really, why could I not talk right? In the back of my mind a little voice was telling me that it was because I was nervous. But badasses don't get nervous.

"That was beautiful, Noah," she said. I finally looked up into her eyes that were like dark pools of chocolate. She gave me a little smile and then are face gradually started getting closer. Our lips were almost touching when Finn decided to open his mouth. I muttered a curse under my breath and I could have sworn I heard Rachel whisper one in Hebrew too.

"What the hell, Puck? I thought you said you were going to stay away from her," Finn complained, on the verge of whining.

"Last time I checked, Hudson, you were dating Quinn, not Rachel; you don't own her. And I only agreed to that because I felt bad for doing all that shit to you, but now I don't because you've been a serious douche lately so screw off." Finn looked like he was going to say something else, but Quinn smacked his arm and gave him an icy glare. So I turned back to Rachel.

She looked at me and smiled again, choosing to ignore Finn completely and said, "I'm so proud of you, Noah. You are a wonderful and talented songwriter, why didn't you contribute more when we were in New York. We really…" Rachel paused and I could see the thought pass through her head. The thought that I wasn't really sure I wanted her to know; I wrote _Pretending_ and let Finn take the credit. I was also vaguely aware that everyone had heard her and gotten quiet as they came to the same realization. Rachel gasped, searched my eyes, and whispered, "Noah, you…"

"Puckerman, Chang, Hudson I need you to come with me. Will, sorry for interrupting," Coach Beiste walked in and cut Rachel off.

Mr. Schue only nodded his head and motioned for us to go, "it's alright."

With one last apologetic look at Rachel I walked out with the other two. Coach took us to her office where there was some guy waiting.

"Hello, my name is Cooter Menkins, and I'm recruiting for Ohio State University. As you guys are the most talented seniors, I wanted to let you know that I'm going to be keeping an eye on you throughout the season to see if you're Buckeye material and to see how interested you are in going to OSU. So are you interested?"

Mike was the first to speak up, "I'm mainly looking at dance schools, but I'm keeping my options open."

Cooter nodded his head and turned to Finn, who replied, "I've wanted to be a Buckeye my entire life."

Finally, he turned his attention to me and it was my time to answer, "I'm getting out of Ohio." I said with finality.

"I'm sorry to hear that from what I hear you're quite the player, I'm sure OSU will be disappointed to hear you won't be theirs." Beiste then dismissed us and Finn shot me a glare. Finn and Mike were out the door when Cooter stopped me, "hey, Puckerman." I turned to him and he asked, "Where are you looking at going?"

The truth was that I wasn't really sure of specific schools, but I knew where I wanted to go, "New York." I saw a knowing smile grace Coach Beiste's face before she turned away from me.

"Well, I happen to know some people up there at some different schools around the city; I'll put in a good word for you."

I stood there shocked for a second, "Thanks" I smiled and left.

~~Meanwhile back in the auditorium, seconds after the boys left~~

It was completely silent in the auditorium for about ten seconds, before Santana stared yelling things in Spanish. You could tell when the girl using words that were not taught in class, whenever Mr. Schue cringed. Finally she switched back to English, "That stupid dumbass! What was he thinking letting that idiotic, pastry bag Frankenteen scam his song! Especially one that he no doubt wrote for you!" After the last sentence, Santana looked shocked that she had said it out loud; like it was something that was supposed to be kept secret.

Rachel barely registered what her friend had said due to the fact that inside her head she was freaking out just a little bit. Noah had written _Pretending_, and considering his latest performance and Santana's words, it was safe to assume it was about herself. So the song that had pretty much gotten Rachel to foolishly take Finn back, the reason she took him back was a lie on Finn's part. And she had been stupid enough to believe him. Finn was about slower than a turtle in molasses (AN-found that saying on a website & thought it was hysterical), how could she have thought he had written a song that amazing. Rachel was almost positive Britney's original song would be better than anything Finn came up with.

Everyone in the room was either in shock or angry; shocked that Puck had wrote both of the songs and angry at Finn that he had lied to them. Kurt looked like he was about three seconds away from going and murdering his stepbrother. Even Quinn looked upset and thought that this was a low thing for Finn to do. All of them were wondering why Puck had let Finn get away with it.

~~~Mr. Schue's POV~~~

To say that I was disappointed in Finn was an understatement. Finn had been one of my favorite students because I had seen in Finn a little bit of myself when I was their age. Now I wasn't so sure. I looked around the room at the rest of my students and made a decision, Puck was going to be the new male lead, if he wanted to. I would announce it in class tomorrow. It was no use keeping the kids any longer so he said, "alright we're going to be done for the day. We'll be continuing the assignment so for those that haven't gone, be ready. Have a good day guys. See you tomorrow."

**AN2: Well it's not the best, but hopefully you liked it and it will do for now. And hopefully next chapter will be better :)**


	7. Chapter 7 If You Give Me a Chance

**AN: Wow well I know I haven't updated this story in forever, but don't worry I haven't forgotten about it. I just got caught up in my other stories and lost inspiration for this one. But I decided I needed to pay attention to all my stories. So here you go. I'm sorry if it's not my best; I honestly thought it up and wrote this in like one night, which I normally don't do. So sorry for any mistakes. Hope you like it. Happy 4/20 everyone! haha**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. Or Whatever It Takes by Lifehouse.**

Chapter 7-If You Give Me a Chance

"_People make mistakes, even the ones we love. We forgive, and keep moving forward." -The Last Song_

~~Santana POV~~

Boys are idiots. It was things like this that reminded me why I prefer girls. Rach, Kurt, and I were waiting in the hallway for Frankenteen and Fuckerman. Finn was just an idiot in general and Puck was an idiot for letting him take credit for his song. His song, the one that probably would have gotten him the girl months ago. Speaking of the girl, I'm a little worried about Rachel and I can tell Kurt is too; she hasn't said anything since glee ended.

Finn is the first one we see. Before Kurt or I can say anything, Rachel walked up to him and smacked him across the face. "That was for lying to me about the song," then she hit him again, this time the other cheek, "and that's for cheating on me."

"What the hell, Rach?" Finn rubbed his face.

"No, you do not get to call me Rach; only my friends can call me that and you are not my friend. God, what did I ever see in you? How did I believe that you had actually written that wonderful song? Why did I take you back?"

I walked up to him as Rachel leaned against the lockers, "You come near her ever again and I promise you that you can forget about having children."

Kurt stomped over and grabbed his arm, "Let's go. When we get home you are telling Carole about everything and I mean everything. Girls, I'll see you later. One of you, call me to let me know how it goes with the other one."

I nodded; I would most likely be the one calling him. As they walked away I yelled out to Hudson, "And I wouldn't plan on getting any from Quinnie anytime soon; she's pissed at you too."

I turned around when I heard another smack. Puck was here now. "I deserved that."

"Yes you did, Noah. Why would you let him use your song? Why did you lie to me?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't know. He was trying to get you back and I figured since you wouldn't ever like me like that I would help him out. You were all happy with him so I guessed that as long as you were happy that it would be ok."

"Did you ever stop and think that if you would have told the truth and told me and played it for me that maybe I would have been happy with you? I got back with him because of that song and look how it ended. If you hadn't let him use it I wouldn't have gone through that train wreck and we probably would have been together already."

The pain on Puck's face kept me from saying anything. He dropped his head and dragged his hand down his face, "Fuck, Rachel, I'm sorry. I was an idiot. I thought that you were better off with him because I'm such a screw up. I mess everything up and you deserve better than that. I'm nothing but a Lima Loser." A shot of guilt ran through me since I practically put that thought in his head.

"Noah, you aren't a Lima Loser. And yes you've made some mistakes but you have always tried to make up for them. You are so talented and you can do anything you set your mind to, Noah. You just have to believe in yourself, just like I believe in you. I have ever since the day you sang me Sweet Caroline. Now if you'll excuse me I need to go home and think."

I spared him a sympathetic look and followed after Rachel. We would definitely be eating some ice cream once we got to her house and I only hoped the Berry's still had some non-vegan kind in their freezer.

~~Puck POV~~

"Damn it," I yelled and punched the lockers next to me once Rachel and Santana were gone. I finally tell Rachel how I feel and I screw it up before we even get together. Now she'll never date me. Wait. She said I just need to believe in myself and I could do anything. Well I wanted to win her over and let her know how sorry I was. I'd sing her another song; she responded best to music. So now I just had to find the perfect song and sing it to her tomorrow in glee. Ugh, glee, no doubt everyone was going to have some questions tomorrow. I just hoped I could answer them.

With that thought I got my shit and headed home to come up with the right song for my apology to Rachel. It was going to be a long night.

~~The next day~~

Glee was like Puck suspected; everyone wanted to know why he had let Finn take credit for his song. But before he or Finn could answer Mr. Schue came into the room. "Guys, I want to say that I'm very disappointed. Lying never leads to good things. So with that said once everyone else finishes there expectations assignment we are going to have a competition between the guys for who will be the male lead. Each of the boys will sing a solo and the girls and I will be the judge on who we think would be best for that role."

Puck raised his hand and waited for Mr. Schuester to call on him. When he did he got up in front of the class, "I just want to apologize for lying to everyone. It was dumb and I shouldn't have done it. I am especially sorry to one person in particular and I was hoping to sing her a song." He turned to Schue and was given the okay. "Rachel, I just want to say that I'm sorry and that you were right. I was stupid and I just needed to believe in myself. So yeah, I hope you can just give me another chance to prove myself," he said looking into her eyes. Then he spoke to Mr. Schuester again, "And if you want you can count this as my solo or whatever." Puck grabbed his guitar and started the song; never looking away from Rachel throughout the whole song.

_A strangled smile fell from your face  
>It kills me that I hurt you this way<br>The worst part is that I didn't even know  
>Now there's a million reasons for you to go<br>But if you can find a reason to stay_

_I'll do whatever it takes_  
><em>To turn this around<em>  
><em>I know what's at stake<em>  
><em>I know that I've let you down<em>  
><em>And if you give me a chance<em>  
><em>Believe that I can change<em>  
><em>I'll keep us together whatever it takes<em>

_She said "If we're gonna make this work_  
><em>You gotta let me inside even though it hurts<em>  
><em>Don't hide the broken parts that I need to see"<em>  
><em>She said "Like it or not it's the way it's gotta be<em>  
><em>You gotta love yourself if you can ever love me"<em>

_I'll do whatever it takes_  
><em>To turn this around<em>  
><em>I know what's at stake<em>  
><em>I know that I've let you down<em>  
><em>And if you give me a chance<em>  
><em>And give me a break<em>  
><em>I'll keep us together, I know you deserve much better<em>

_But remember the time I told you the way that I felt_  
><em>That I'd be lost without you and never find myself<em>  
><em>Let's hold onto each other above everything else<em>  
><em>Start over, start over<em>

_I'll do whatever it takes_  
><em>To turn this around<em>  
><em>I know what's at stake<em>  
><em>I know I've let you down<em>  
><em>And if you give me a chance<em>  
><em>and believe that I can change<em>  
><em>I'll keep us together whatever it takes<em>

When he finished and set the guitar down, he looked nervously at Rachel. She quietly got up from her seat and stopped in front of him. Her eyes were a little watery, but that didn't stop her from looking straight into his. Then she wrapped her arms around him, "Of course I'll give you a chance Noah. That was a lovely performance by the way."

Puck couldn't stop himself from smiling and spinning her around. After he set her down, he looked into her eyes before crashing his lips to hers. "Finally," Santana and Kurt exclaimed at the same time.

Once they broke apart Puck spoke, "I promise I'll try my hardest to not mess this up."

Rachel giggled, "I promise too." She got on her toes and placed a quick kiss on his lips. Then she grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the seats. Finn looked like he was going to say something, but stopped after Santana reminded him of her threat.

The rest of practice went by without incident. Rachel and Puck ended up heading to her house to hang out. And before they parted ways Brittany reminded Santana of the deal they had made. They would officially go out once Puck and Rachel got together.

**AN2: Also I know Puck may seem a little OOC in parts of this chapter and I'm sorry about that. But hey, he thought that he had what he wanted in his grasp only for it to be momentarily ripped away because of a stupid mistake he made. Plus I was kinda tired and my brain was a little mushy. I'm also sorry that this chapter is shorter than normal; I'll try to do better next time :) Alrighty then, until next chapter. Adios.**


	8. Author Note

**AN**

**Well, I would like to say I'm really super sorry, but I've decided to leave this story as is. I just completely lost any inspiration for this story. So please don't hate me. It's been really hard to come up with anything regarding Puckleberry since there wasn't that much interaction between the two towards the end of Season 3 and absolutely none in this new season. This story honestly wasn't as popular as some of my other ones and I got them together in it last chapter so I figured I should just try and focus on my other stories. So again, I'm really sorry if you were looking forward to more of this story.**

**~PrincessReya**


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